


you walked into his book shop and he's the oddest creature you've ever met

by curlsinthewind



Series: thiam fics 2021 [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A lot of alternate universes, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Notting Hill Fusion, Awkward Flirting, Bookshop Owner Theo Raeken, Famous Liam Dunbar, Getting Together, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Theo Raeken is a Mess, Wow lots of tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29469741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curlsinthewind/pseuds/curlsinthewind
Summary: An unexpected encounter in Theo Raeken's 'Travel Book Shop' with a Hollywood star, Liam Dunbar, brings the owner a rather improbable turn out of events. If only he could stop talking for one single minute. Also, Theo Raeken hates orange juice.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: thiam fics 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120781
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	you walked into his book shop and he's the oddest creature you've ever met

**Author's Note:**

  * For [enygmaspenguin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enygmaspenguin/gifts).



> Um, hi! <3  
> I should not be posting this, I have no pre-written chapters and don't know when I will be coming back to this but...I am too excited over this fic (because ThiamxNotting Hill is my damn guilty pleasure) and I couldn't wait with publishing any longer and I'm curious if even someone will be interested in this or if I should give up xD. Also, this is an excuse for me putting in use my British grammar (at least I hope so). Notting Hill is my favourite movie of all times (Hugh Grant and his hair did charm me, yes) so I hope you will like this :)
> 
> For Ady because this is our movie and I am really glad for all your encouragements <3 (also, she came up with the title :D)

Many people had claimed that his life was in fact boring and a big cliché, full of cheap and watery coffee and ridiculous obsessions with books (travelling books to be specific), that Theo’s life had been the same for the past decade, the same friends, same job and the same old blue house with the same nutty flatmate but Theo found something content about the reliable reality. He liked waking up every day and doing the exact same thing as the previous one.

Because if you paid enough attention to the life you’ve been living, you would have noticed that every day is a little bit different. That the leaves on the trees would move differently and the birds would be chirping in a quieter voice, that the guy that always came back to his book shop asked for another novel. Every day was something new to look forward to and coming out of his comfort zone just seemed like too much of a struggle.

That’s why he liked the travel books, that’s why he liked the coffee. Because he could visit every place in the world just by reading about it and while he was doing it, he could drink a coffee and this time, without milk for once or maybe with cream or with sugar. There were too many options in the world on how to make your everyday life all the same and at the same time, completely distinct.

Theo had his fair share of adventures, for example marrying a woman that he didn’t even love, just because he wanted to get out of the constant repentance that he had thought has been absolutely fine but of course that his step-brother and his friends pushed him into doing something Theo had never done before and apparently, drinking a coffee in a different mug and eating a toast with a blueberry jam instead of the strawberry one (which was his favourite), wasn’t enough.

And as it comes with going out of the box, it often ends up in a painful heartbreak and a forced eye-opening. His wife, Tracy, discovered this lack of his personality soon enough after their wedding, that happened to be less formal and more tamed than she would have wished (Theo’s proud doing) and after just a few months of living together in his cramped house (yes, even with his lodger) and left him for some guy that painfully looked like Harrison Ford.

People misjudging his travel book shop with a normal book shop with awful fantasy novels had also been a painful reminder of Theo’s indecisive nature, needing to send potential customers away with a pang in his heart because everyone should be interested in travel books and the beauty of describing usually boring places, the ability to picture something just from plain words. It all had been the true filler of his passion and it saddened him that so many people couldn’t see the full prospect of reading a travel book.

It was just another day in London on the Notting Hill when another uneducated bastard entered his Travel Book Shop, wandering around like Alice in Wonderland, pretending not to see Theo at the counter and walking right past him. The man disappeared in the farthest corner of the shop, hiding behind the shelves, obviously not realizing that the whole place was quilted with cameras while in the meantime, another person came in, the doorbell ringing with the door opening. Theo sighed hopelessly, paying no attention to the newcomer, as the screen showed the guy putting “Cadogan Guide to Bali” into his trousers, it was quite impressive actually, the book wasn’t a small one, the cover hard and heavy, definitely not a book you would like to carry in your pants.

Theo shook his head, silently cursing at whoever invented dumb people and finally looked to the other side of the shop, expecting his assistant Nolan beaming at him and teasing him about the bastard, however, there, in all his grace, was standing only another customer, a book in his hands and... _oh no_...Theo hated that travel book. One of the worst he has ever read, everything written so...enthusiastically, leaving no room for any doubts, written by someone who has never been to Turkey in the first place and Theo didn’t like that combination one bit.

On the other hand, the new man was gorgeous, brown hair and fancy clothes, black leather jacket with a grey t-shirt and black leather pants that did _not_ hide another Guide to Bali, which at this moment, happened to be very pleasing. It was such a shame that the guy wore sunglasses as well and was hiding his eyes away from the world...from the books of Theo’s travel book shop. Something magnetizing forced Theo to wonder what colour they could possibly have which, to be completely clear, were _not_ his everyday thoughts, ever. There was something about the black leather jacket man and Theo couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Can I help you at all?” he asked because that was his job and even despite his weird attraction toward the guy, he had to fulfil his duties as an owner of the shop, having to put all the abashment aside.

“No thanks, I’ll just...look around.”

It took him a while until Theo could even respond, hypnotised by the grace the man carried his body with. “Fine,” he said finally, hissing as the customer turned to another page, looking intrigued, unfortunately. “That book’s really not that great.” The man spared him an uninterested look, going back to the Turkish Guide and Theo should be probably quiet, he practically told Theo to leave him alone but something about the newcomer made Theo restless, making him have the need to talk about nothing and everything at the same time. “Just in case, you know, browsing turned into buying, you’d be wasting your money.”

Theo acted like this with all his customers, it was fine, completely and utterly fine.

“But if it’s Turkey you’re interested in, this one…” Theo took one of his favourite books, ‘Istanbul’, from the counter, proudly holding it in his hands. “…this one, on the other hand, is very good.”

Okay, that was enough, time to shut his mouth.

“I think the man who wrote it has actually been to Turkey which…which helps.” _I need to stop, right now._ “There’s also very amusing incident with a kebab…uhm.. which is one of many amusing incidents.”

“Thanks, I’ll think about it,” the man answered, polite enough to look past Theo’s rambling and actually answer, every other person would be already fleeing out of the shop but not him, why?

He didn’t know why he was already opening his mouth for another trash bag of nonsense to leave his mouth but sadly (or maybe even thankfully) the ‘Cadogan guy’ returned from the depths of the book shop, looking everything _but_ innocent.

And Theo sighed, rolling his eyes at the bewildered expression on the man’s face. “Excuse me, you will have to pay for it.”

“For what?” And god, he even sounded stupid and his face was doing dumb expressions and Theo hated it. He could definitely function without these types of encounters in his life.

“For that book, you just shoved down your trousers.” Someone behind him chuckled, probably the leather jacket man, already leaving the shop without buying something and putting the bankruptcy to a much faster fallout.

“There’s no book down my trousers,” the thief answered, being also an awful liar that Theo wouldn’t even have to try and read him to realize it if he hadn’t seen the evidence of him stealing on the cameras. Apparently, there was no book in the guy’s pants so there was also no sanity left in Theo.

“Right. I’ll tell you this,” he started, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth, sucking _hard_ , forcing the will to kill brainless thieves down and put his hands on his hips, a gesture he found himself doing a lot lately. “I can call the police and if I’m wrong about this whole ‘book in trousers thing’ then I’ll apologize but if not…”

“Okay, what if I _had_ a book down my trousers? What should I do?” the man interrupted and Theo just shook his head, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, frustrated, frustrated and disappointed in humankind.

“Then I would suggest buying the book or coming back to the isle from where you took it, wipe it and return the ‘Cadogan Guide to Bali’ in its right place and leave,” he said, watching as the guy swallowed loudly, looking down to his crotch, eyes wide open before disappearing in the isle.

Theo let himself collapse onto the counter, cursing quietly and seriously reconsidering all his life choices before something like a warning hit him straight in the head and he opened one eye to look at the other man. He was smiling smugly, pretending to examine the Turkish Guide with precision and care.

“Sorry about that.” Because what else was he supposed to say to someone who wanted to actually _buy_ something?

“I was gonna steal one but now I’ve changed my mind,” the man spoke up, eyes not leaving the book (or maybe they did but Theo could hardly tell due to those black glasses) and his voice sounded happy and yes, a little bit mocking. Theo just laughed and looked at the book again, glaring daggers at it, hoping it would fall apart and this poor victim wouldn’t have to bring it home.

“Are you sure you want to buy this one? I’m sure there are plenty better ones,” Theo asked, cringing as the man shook his head with a smile on his face like he thought that Theo’s concerns were ridiculous. They were not, he just tried to be a good person for once and save someone some money, even though the guy seemed pretty stable with all of his...accessories.

“I see it’s even signed by the author,” he answered instead, his long fingers running through the pages, opening at the front. Yeah, Theo wasn’t proud about that one, the writer was just too…

“Yeah, he couldn’t be stopped.”...enthusiastic.

The man laughed, taking a breath for another funny remark but was stopped by someone coming back from the furthest section. That someone cleared his throat. “Excuse me.” _Oh_ , the stealing guy was back, sounding as stupid as he looked. Theo just scrunched his nose, he had to make sure to clean the precious book from any germs and bugs that were surely living in those guys trousers. Oh god, he didn’t even want to know when was the last time he had changed his underwear.

The other customer gave him an unimpressed look, eyeing him from head to toe, frowning as the almost thief approached him in the most impolite way possible, barging into his personal space without any shame. “Could you give me an autograph?” he asked which made Theo wonder if the person that wanted to buy the worst Travel Guide on Earth was someone he should recognize.

“Yeah sure.” The man...the someone obviously famous, a man, fancy clothes, light brown hair...no, still no bells.

“What’s your name?” he asked and the voice, maybe Theo heard that voice somewhere.

He gave the thief another uninterested look and Theo had to do everything in his powers to hold back his emotions. He couldn’t laugh, that would make him even worse than the ‘book in trousers guy’ but the whole thing was so ridiculous that even not smiling seemed like the hardest task ever.

The thief, unlike Theo, was completely unbothered, looking at the other guy like on some meat, disgusting. Was he some kind of a model? An actor? Singer? Postman? It could literally be anyone, even his step-brother...his brother. His brother knew all these kinds of famous people.

“Gabe,” the guy answered, almost drooling over himself, taking out a piece of paper somewhere, offering it to...to Liam Dunbar. Great, just great.

Liam Dunbar who his brother adored and saw every movie he starred in, preferably in the theatres, even persuaded Theo to watch some with him. Those movies...he didn’t like them at all to say at least. Everything too exaggerated, too extreme and unreal, making him die with

embarrassment. It was also true that every single image had been better just because of Liam’s acting skills which always made Theo wonder why the actor was wasting time and talent for those B-movies without any plot, founded on good looks of all men and women and badly-done CGI when he could do so much better.

So the visit of one of the most famous actors in the world, Liam Dunbar, a man who yes, Theo could admit that the man was indeed very beautiful, into his Travel Book Shop, hasn’t been a thing that would count as a cliché, more like a...well maybe it was a cliché. A cliché _and_ an ordeal.

Maybe the fact that Liam Dunbar chose Theo’s Travel Book Shop felt like a joke, a bad one, a joke that his roommate would tell him when he would get wasted. Theo had his regular customers, he had his routine and neither Liam Dunbar nor Gabe had been a part of it, making this day _not_ different but...surreal.

Speaking of the actor, he finally got over his amusement, taking a pen from Theo’s desk, leaning over and writing something on the piece of paper, already sweaty from Gabe’s hand.

“What does it say?” Gabe asked and god, if he couldn’t read, why was he stealing a book in the first place?

Liam smirked at him, mischief visible even from behind the dark sunglasses as he looked at the thief, straightening his head before pointing a finger at the short sentence. “That’s my signature and then it says ‘You belong in jail, Gabe’.” Theo had to hold back his chuckle, watching Gabe laugh dumbly, scratching the back of his neck.

“Good one,” he went quiet for a while, Theo rolling his eyes at how disgusting the guy acted, almost choking on plain air when another sentence fell out of his mouth: “Do you want my number?”

Liam Dunbar raised his eyebrows, first, looking at Gabe, then at Theo, licking his lips, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. “Tempting, but no.” And finally, _finally_ , Gabe left, a disappointed look on his face, standing there another minute, maybe hoping that Liam was joking before opening the entrance and disappearing in the business of the Notting Hill street. How he didn’t look embarrassed was perplexing and yet quite understandable, since Gabe was obviously missing some brain cells.

This day has been exhausting enough, one thief and a celebrity in his shop had been tiring. Those two people in his shop _and_ at the same time were too much for one day.

“I will take this one.”

Theo dragged his gaze back to the counter, finding the actor stand there expectantly, still with that awful Turkish Travel Guide in his hands. He completely forgot about it.

“Oh, okay,” he breathed out, taking a hold of the book. “So I guess you are really buying this one. It’s probably not that terrible, I would say it’s a classic even.” _Ouch_ , that hurt even himself, he hasn’t been that awkward since middle school. Actors’ presences weren’t good for Theo’s internal peace.

His gaze fell on another Guide on the counter, this one much better than what Liam wanted to buy. What if he read it and decided it was bad? Theo couldn’t afford a bad review, most certainly not from _Liam Dunbar_ ; his shop was already hanging on a single thread, that could be his end. So he does the only reasonable thing, being even more awkward. “You know what? I’ll give you this one too. Just, you know, no one accused me of letting someone buy just this one.” And he should probably stop talking because he was being insufferable and Liam was laughing at him but it was so hard not trying to make this awful situation better that he had to bite his tongue, even harder than before because the more he talked the worse he made it.

The other man laughed at him, not even hiding his amusement, watching as Theo packed those books into a too cheap plastic bag for a man like Liam. He gave Theo his money, now smirking more than laughing. “Great, thank you.”

They shared a look, a look Theo didn’t know what was supposed to mean because he got lost in it for too long and before he could even comprehend what the hell was happening, Liam was already stepping out of the shop.

“Have a great day!” And Theo obviously wasn’t biting his tongue hard enough because he should have kept his mouth shut, keep himself at least some sense of dignity, unsuccessfully.

The foot in his mouth was going to be stuck in there the whole day, wasn’t it?

* * *

“Here we are, cappuccino as ordered.”

Just five minutes after those two men left, his assistant Nolan barged in with Theo’s cappuccino and Theo felt too exhausted to even tell him, that he forgot his toasts on the way to the café.

“Thanks.” He folded his hands on his hips, still unbelievably looking through the shop window, remembering the past ten minutes in his head, again and again. Unable to believe that Theo didn’t make it all up. “I don’t think you’ll believe who was just in here.” Because saying it out loud often helped, hearing actual words helped with deciphering that it wasn’t just a dream.

Nolan looked at him, confused at first, sipping at his cheap coffee before almost spitting the liquid out. “Who? Was it someone famous?”

To be honest, Theo quite liked Nolan, he was easy to boss around and always brought him coffee which in these times was a necessary need. Nolan was loyal, excusing himself a week before he wouldn’t come to work, staying at Theo’s side even though the shop slowly fell apart. Maybe he liked the store as much as Theo did, the small messy building with dusted books left something in his heart, something that didn’t let him abandon the place, despite the defects.

Also, Nolan had been a huge help with ‘Gabe’ type of customers, always patient enough to explain what exactly had they done wrong and sending them away, saving Theo his last bits of sweet calmness.

Now though, his co-worker seemed to be excited and who could even blame him? Exciting and funny things often avoided Notting Hill street, only the all-season market providing some kind of entertainment, so hearing about someone famous visiting this particular part of London felt almost like a sci-fi movie.

Which also caused spreading rumours around, _fast_ and unrelenting and before both of them would blink, tons of journalists would barge into their little Book Shop and find Liam right away. Theo couldn’t imagine Liam wanting a company, certainly not a company from a bunch of paparazzi. Only seeing him here, with his sunglasses and the dubious leather jacket, clearly indicating that he didn’t want to be recognized and Theo wasn’t this type of a person who would ruin someone else’s peaceful morning.

“Oh, no no.” Which is why he forced himself to lie, say the thing that won’t ease his mind but will probably help one hopeless soul out of trouble.

Nolan pouted, obviously. He always read every newspaper, knew every single rumour going around the country, knew every single celebrity’s birth chart and Theo just knew that the secret wouldn’t be safe with the assistant. “Would it be exciting though, wouldn’t it, if someone famous came into the shop?” he exclaimed with that innocent voice of his. “Do you know...,” he started again, obviously torn between drinking his coffee or telling Theo the ‘exciting’ story that was supposed to hide the disappointment, “...this is pretty amazing actually…” The story was it then. “...but I once saw Harrison Ford.”

Theo snorted, almost spitting out the hot coffee at Nolan when he heard the name. That old Star Wars man was never going to leave him alone. “Where was that?”

“Kensington High Street.”

“At least I think it was him.” Nolan frowned. “It might have been the guy from Back to the Future. You know, Martin.” He looked quite proud of this accomplishment, nodding his head frantically.

Theo couldn’t hold back anymore and laughed loudly. “Marty.”

“Yes. That’s right. Marty.” At this point, it was visible that Nolan didn’t see anyone famous in his whole life and it seemed a little bit sad, maybe for someone who didn’t know him through these past ten years but Theo knew better and he liked to tease him about it.

“Actually, Harrison Ford doesn’t look at all like Marty.”

“Yeah, but he was quite a long way away from me.”

“So there could be a possibility that it was neither of them,” Theo said, trying to sound at least somehow apologetic but his amusement and irritability wouldn’t let him, all these famous people talk and Harrison Ford really sent him to the edge.

His assistant went quiet, finally gulping the remaining coffee down his throat and nodding, a deep-thinking line creating on his forehead. “Yeah, I suppose so...yes.” He was nodding again, probably acknowledging the fact that his faith stuck to being a Travel Book Shop worker with a boss so kind and sweet like a bugger.

Theo looked down at his plastic cup, slowly melting from the hotness of the cappuccino, being almost certain that he had to swallow some pieces of plastic as well. “Another one?”

“Yes. No! Let’s go crazy. I’ll have orange juice.”

* * *

What Theo liked the most in his job, besides reading all the books and taking care of them like they are his own children, are those small walks to the nearby café just around the corner. The place is cheap and doesn’t have too many people in it, ever, so Theo won’t get tangled in his own thoughts.

Today, apparently, was a different day, a _crazy_ day as Nolan has called it earlier because the café was cramped, the line too long and too time-consuming so of course that Theo started thinking about things that should be long forgotten. For example, how cheerful Liam’s chuckles were or how his mouth was so full and red and how Theo just wanted to lunge in and kiss him so passionately and spontaneously as he has never kissed anyone. Theo was too shocked before to even think about something like that but now, when all he could do, was waiting in the line, all he could think about was that man. The man whose hair was so gracefully styled, sticking to all directions, his beautiful laugh and a great sense of humour.

Theo would have done anything just for them to meet again. It sounded _crazy_ and it _was_ crazy but Liam really was a charming man and Theo just wanted to kiss him. Maybe he was just a creep, secretly obsessing over an actor, denying the long term crush he has developed for Liam. So maybe one awkward encounter has been enough because even if, for some inexplicable reason, they’ve met for a second time, there was no way that Liam would like him back even though there was something in that long look they’ve shared but once again, it could all just be Theo’s imagination.

And finally, _finally_ , the line disappeared and Theo’s order came next. It didn’t even last long after that, Nolan’s orange juice and Theo’s toast weren’t difficult orders. With the drink and the food, he went back to the shop, trying to suppress all thoughts to the back of his mind. It never did well to anyone ever when they were imagining things and Theo was hurt enough for today.

Liam and his gorgeous lips could be forgotten, there was nothing that could…

“Shit! Bugger!”

“Oh my god!”

Liam was standing, _crouching_ in front of him, his grey t-shirt all covered with Nolan’s orange juice and Theo didn’t have enough time to process anything that was happening. His mind getting tangled in one and only word. Liam, Liam, Liam. Pissed off Liam because Theo crashed into him and now he was all wet and if they won’t do something really soon then the actor’s cover will quickly stop working. _Bugger._

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he tried, he really tried to come up with something, anything. “Here, let me…”

“Get your hands off!” And obviously, trying to wipe the juice off Liam Dunbar’s _chest_ , touching it with a napkin, not hands but still, was a bad idea because now Theo couldn’t tell if Liam was angry at him or amused by him.

“I’m really sorry. I live just over the street.” The thin blue house was almost begging him to bring Liam there and Theo desperately tried to redeem himself from the personal hell he has made this day into. “I have water and soap. You can get cleaned up.”

“No, thank you. I just need to get my car back.” Liam fished into his pocket then into some of those bags he was carrying, trying to find his phone and The felt so guilty that it almost hurt him physically.

“I also have a phone. I’m confident that in five minutes we can have you spick and span back on the street again.” The world around them seemed to stop at that moment, Liam stopped panicking and instead glared at the owner of the book shop. It was already too late when Theo realized what had just left his mouth. “In the non-prostitute sense, obviously.”

That much for making things better.

Liam gave up in his search for the mobile phone, sighing defeatedly and looking down at his ruined t-shirt. “Alright.” And now, for some unknown reason, at least to Theo, he smiled and tried to hide it but Theo was too worried about how the actor felt, studying his every expression very closely not to notice. “Well, what do you mean ‘just over the street’? Give it to me in yards.” Which, to be frank, was a strange request, however, strange enough it sounded, Theo knew the answer and had to do everything in his power not to sigh in relief.

He fought the urge to touch Liam’s arm and pointed on his blue house across the street, shining there like a beacon. “Eh,” he started, thinking if he should make up an imaginary number or really tell him the exact distance. “Eighteen yards. That’s my house there with the blue front door.” It seemed impossible lying to Liam but there was no way the actor knew how far they were from his house, Theo could be bluffing for what Liam knew.

They shared another look, the same one from earlier, the one that Theo still couldn’t forget and Liam sighed, his hands flattening his wet hair, trying to protect his already ruined shirt with other orange drops and sighed.

* * *

Theo was ill, that was for sure, never shutting his mouth and talking nonsense, bringing famous movie stars into his house and spilling orange juice on them. He didn’t even realize that the drink was spilled over his shirt as well, cold droplets sliding down his abdomen, colouring it with a substance that is going to be difficult to get rid of, until they crossed the street.

He led the other man to his house and for the first time since he moved in, regretted that he let Corey make such a mess out of their house because Theo was, in fact, inviting _Liam Dunbar_ to his home that didn’t even look clean. There were gum wrappers all around the place, pizza boxes and dirty dishes, random clothes scattered on the floor and it was embarrassing opening the door for the actor because he was aware that the mess was absolutely everywhere.

_That’s why we don’t invite people into this blue monster._

“Come on in. I’ll just, I’ll just…” Talking wasn’t helping his impression at all but at least he didn’t grip Liam’s shoulders and yanked him across the hall and kitchen as fast as he could so they would avoid all of the dirty stuff as he wanted, and as terrible as that sounded, Theo perceived it as an accomplishment.

It also seemed like Liam tried to be as slow as possible, taking the whole interior in and Theo couldn’t blame him, he _stood_ in an unknown environment and could end up being kidnapped so Theo let him, at least it gave him some extra time to somewhat clean some of the pizza boxes away from the floor and toss it into the already overfilled trash can.

“Uh...right. Right.” Pathetic cry for some eased judgment, Liam must hate him by now and there is nothing Theo can do to change it. He didn’t even know _why_ Liam’s opinion was so important, it didn’t make any sense and Theo was tired, _exhausted_ and his mouth still moved and couldn’t be stopped. “Come in. It’s not quite as tidy as it normally is, I fear.” A lie, a _pathetic_ lie that was too thin to see right through and the actor knew it, still looking around, startled. “But the bathroom’s on the top floor. And the telephone’s just up there.”

They went awfully quiet after that and maybe Theo’s unstoppable mouth had been a blessing at last because everything was better than that awful quiet. Liam stood there bewildered, looking at his bags silently, eyes still hidden behind the dark glasses.

Theo took the bags, trying to be at least somehow helpful and not just destroy everything. “Here, let me…” He put them next to the fridge just in front of the stairs that led upstairs to the bathroom that Liam urgently needed and so he pointed at them, gaping at the actor like some fish because all of a sudden, there were no words coming out.

Liam didn’t say anything when he went upstairs with only one bag in his hand, stopping at the first floor. “Round the corner, straight on...straight on up.” And then he left.

“Bugger.” Theo immediately got to work, taking all the dirty dishes from the table and piling them up on themselves on the counter in the kitchen, it was a miracle they didn’t scatter to the ground. To his disgust, Corey must have left some of his cooking experiments in the pot and when the smell of orange and the reek of some peas of some sort mixed together, it became hard not to vomit on the place. How could he be so stupid and invite a damn actor into his house that was so filthy there could be racoons running around?

Washing the table seemed pointless but doing nothing was just frustrating and Theo liked pointless things so that’s what he did when the bathroom door finally opened again and then steps could be heard from upstairs until they came closer and closer. He looked up abruptly, hair falling into his eyes and looking at the figure coming down which was a terrible idea and Theo should have never done that, looking up was the worst mistake he has ever made.

Liam came down, all graceful and gentle, all his clothes changed besides that damn leather jacket that started to drive Theo crazy but other than that, it was a completely different Liam. First new shoes, then a pair of black shorts and a crop top, a _crop top_ and Theo’s brain stopped functioning right at that moment, his eyes couldn’t believe what he was seeing because that man looked absolutely lovely and Theo didn’t want to do anything else than just say it out loud.

Things became even worse when he looked even more up, meeting two blue eyes that were finally free from those annoying sunglasses. His breath hitched, mouth once again opening for some nonsense to come out but he couldn’t. Looking at Liam seemed like an illegal thing to do, too good to be true and he smiled because looking at Liam also caused smiles and Theo wasn’t a person who would fight against these powers.

To his surprise, Liam smiled back at him, suddenly looking very self-conscious and lost like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do which was fair, this situation felt so unreal and improbable that it was absolutely understandable.

“Uhm...would you like a cup of tea before you go?” Tea calms people down, right?

“No.” Well, maybe not.

“Coffee?”

“No.” Liam was laughing at him again, this was unbelievable.

“Orange juice?” Talking about orange juice was even a worse idea. “Probably not. Something else cold?” Why couldn’t he just shut his mouth and let Liam leave? There was no way he could redeem himself now. So why was he opening the fridge? “Coke? Water?” Theo was desperate by this point, unable to stop himself from...was he trying to flirt with Liam? Oh god, this was a nightmare. “Some disgusting sugary drink pretending to have something to do with fruits of the forest?” He was gripping his chin hard, the cold of the fridge attacking his wet stomach, Liam’s piercing blue eyes boring a giant hole into his head.

“No.”

As expected, of course, Liam wanted to run as far away as he could, why he didn’t do it back then in the book shop still remained a mystery to Theo. “Would you like something to eat?” There was no coming back from here, Theo fell into a hole and desperately tried to climb out but he only sank deeper and Liam was standing at the top, his laughs loud enough for him to hear but too embarrassing that it was just better to ignore them. “Something to nibble? Apricots…” Why was he doing this to himself? He grabbed the jar anyways. “...soaked in honey? Quite why, no one knows because it stops them tasting of apricots and makes them taste like honey, and if you wanted honey you’d just buy honey instead of apricots. But nevertheless, there we go, they’re yours if you want them.”

This was the worst day of his life.

“No.” And still, even if Theo didn’t stop rambling, even if Theo was holding a cursed jar of apricots soaked in _honey_ , Liam still didn’t run, just watched him with this sparkle in his _blue_ oh so blue eyes and smiled. His posture relaxed and _happy_ , the calmest Theo has ever seen him, which yes...wasn’t that much of seeing but still, it still felt like a win to him, seeing Liam smile without furrowing his eyebrows and hiding behind his sunglasses.

“Do you always say ‘no’ to everything?” Theo asked, watching as the actor thought about that question for a while, before replying hesitantly, maybe too quiet for his personality:

“No.” The word curled up at the end and even though it was the same word Liam has kept repeating, it felt somewhat different this time. Exactly like the coffee Theo drank every morning. Just this time, Liam was more like a tea and this particular ‘no’ sounded more like there was _honey_ in it and the ‘no’ was actually a ‘yes’, which only confirmed Theo’s theory and he nodded, closing the fridge after what felt like too long for a fridge to be opened and leaned against it. “I’d better be going. Thanks for your, uh, help.” Liam smiled at him, evidently indicating that Theo’s awkwardness had _not_ been overlooked and that he found it funny.

Theo smiled back at him, an ugly throaty sound leaving his mouth. “You’re welcome. And may I also say, um, heavenly.” Because what were another few sentences compared to a whole day of disasters? “I’ll just take my one chance to say it. After you’ve read that terrible book you’re certainly not gonna be coming back to the shop.” And now he was flirting, clearly and shamelessly. Liam was a brave man for putting up with him. Theo was a mess.

“Thank you,” the actor answered instead, looking a little pleased even. And it was surprising, getting this kind of reaction because a punch in the face would be more accepting than that.

“Yeah, well, my pleasure.”

They both stopped in front of the entrance, the inside painted plain white in contrast to the outside, thankfully or Theo would probably move out soon, that blue paint smelled terrible. For some reason, both of them stood close, facing each other, Liam a little shorter than Theo himself so he had to tip his head a little but he waited patiently, already knowing the owner of the book shop well enough to know that there was going to be some other utterly useless prattle.

“So...it was nice to meet you,” Theo started, putting his hands on his hips. “ _Surreal_ , but nice.”

And Liam was right because it was absolutely stupid, just as he heard himself say it, he knew there wasn’t a hole deep enough he could fall down into. The actor stayed silent, still smiling, still _laughing_ at him and Theo just wanted this nightmare to end already, watching as Liam left from the hall, back onto the Notting Hill street where it all started, back where they both could live their individual lives again without ‘surreal, but nice’ comments. What was he even thinking? Stupid, he was so so stupid. It would be better for everyone if he just hid under the covers of his bed and never came out again.

At least it was all over now and Theo could be worrying about other things again, for example, how exactly he wants to keep his Book Shop running without any money or how is he supposed to get rid of the enormous crush on one and only Liam Dunbar. Oh god, how he wanted to kiss him right there in that hallway, how he wanted to touch his hips and waist. _This_ was _not_ Theo’s usual acting, Theo has not been like this since...since ever and it was not okay. They didn’t know each other, there couldn’t be anything happening in between them, this was ridiculous.

A bell stopped him on his way back into the depths of the house. It was probably Corey again, forgetting his keys as always so Theo didn’t read anything into it only to be met with the opposite.

“Hi.” No, it was not over, apparently. Liam stood in his doorway innocently, looking up at Theo.

“Hi,” he answered, not comprehending what Liam was doing back here, why couldn’t he just leave? Why did he have to smile at him like that? It wasn’t fair, Theo was absolutely defenceless.

“I forgot my other bag.” Liam shrugged, maybe even looking slightly guilty as he said it which was absolutely unnecessary, it was all Theo’s fault that he started fantasizing about things that will never happen.

“Oh, right. Right.” And yes, Theo _was_ disappointed because maybe, somewhere inside him lit up a spark of hope that maybe Liam was coming back with a _different_ reason, that he felt the same pull towards Theo as Theo had felt towards Liam, that maybe he wasn’t imagining it.

He retreated as quickly as he could, putting a needed distance between them because it hurt too much, it hurt having something so close and yet so far away.

The actor closed the door which seemed weird because Theo could just give it back to him through the door and he would disappear again but who was he to judge. Theo didn’t know how the life of a celebrity worked.

He quickly took the bag from where it was leaning against the fridge and _ran_ back into the hallway because there was still a lot of mess lying around and Liam was still his guest and it was still humiliating.

“Thanks.” Theo gave him the plastic bag which contained that awful Turkish Guide and found himself in the same position as before, too close to the other man, facing him and his gorgeous blue eyes, brown hair now a little chaotic but still looking like they were done by a professional hairdresser. Liam was, simply put, breathtaking and Theo couldn’t look anywhere else but at him and his sweet expression.

Liam really seemed surreal and Theo wanted to explore everything, wanted to know every little detail about him because he was so fascinating, so interesting, more than any book he has ever read, more than any coffee he has ever drunk. Liam was new and for once, Theo didn’t mind, just wanted more, like he had tasted some drug and now couldn’t get enough of it.

He wanted to say something, something that would put an end to all of this because slowly but surely it started slicing him to small little pieces that Theo wasn’t sure could ever be fixed, killing him until his heart emptied completely. It was that moment when Theo was so lost in his own head that Liam decided to lean in. The actor’s hand touched the nape of his neck, squeezing reassuringly, his lips connecting with Theo’s like a puzzle piece, fitting there like they were meant to be stuck together forever. And as much as Theo wanted to touch and explore, he couldn’t move, only steady enough to kiss back but his damn hands wouldn’t leave the place on his hips to touch Liam somewhere...anywhere, it didn’t matter, just a small touch so he would be certain that all of this was real and that Liam Dunbar was really kissing him senseless.

When they pulled back, both opening their eyes, panting and then staring at each other, close, too close, for the very first time since their paths crossed, there was a silence that didn’t need to be filled and Theo felt like he didn’t need to make anything better for once. Because everything was at its best. Kissing Liam was the best thing he has ever done and he wanted to do it again and again and again, feel those red lips against his, tasting the other man, hands wandering on his body, touching every single bit of exposed skin until his lips would tingle and his head would spin around like on a carousel, he wanted to keep kissing him until both of them couldn’t breathe and then he would kiss him again, again and again.

Therefore, there were some apologies that needed to be done. Theo blinked rapidly, exhaling a pile of breath and tightening the grip on his hips, still struck with shock. “I’m...very sorry about the ‘surreal, but nice’ comment. Disaster.”

Liam looked too carried away to even respond, Theo didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing. “That’s okay,” he said after a while, his voice quiet and shaky. “I thought the apricot and honey thing was the real low point.” Theo laughed at the absurdity, it shouldn’t be surprising that Liam wasn’t holding back with his honesty.

All of a sudden, the doorknob clattered, clinking as someone tried to fit the key in the lock and there could be only one idiot that couldn’t fit a key in a lock. Corey, coming back from his studio, probably stinking and dirty like he always was. Corey was coming back home, home where Theo and Liam just kissed, where Liam just stood millimetres away from him, wide eyes watching the door rattle. And in an instant, all the blood had drained from Theo’s face.

“Oh my god. My flatmate. I’m sorry. There’s no excuse for him.” For the one second that the two men had before Corey was going to barge in and see _Liam Dunbar_ in the middle of their hallway had been quiet. Liam cleared his throat, looking rather panicked and startled, it was probably for the first time Theo has seen him like this and before he could look more into it, it was too late.

Liam shared a quick look with him when Corey opened the door, a lit cigarette in his mouth, a plastic bag in his hand and a nest on his head, clothes too small for his body and Theo was just glad that Liam at least got a two-second warning before they met. Nevertheless, it seemed like his flatmate didn’t even notice the actor, nodding at Theo, some of the smoke of the cigarette hitting him in the nostrils, a spicy smell bringing tears to his eyes and then he just walked right past him.

“Hi,” he said, completely unaware that _both_ Theo and Liam greeted him back and then he continued. For someone who has spent a whole decade with this man, watched him change from a sweet innocent kid that worked two hard jobs into finally finding himself in making art and leading a life full of freedom, it seemed absolutely normal and okay to see Corey like this. Yet, of course, not everyone could be there to witness it and so the incredulous look on Liam’s face hadn’t come as a surprise. “I’m just going into the kitchen to get some food. Then I’m gonna tell you a story that will make your balls shrink to the size of raisins.”

They were quiet, shock obviously was the right mindset a person should have when hearing this type of a sentence and Theo found himself frowning when he realized he didn’t feel any.

Despite all Liam has lived through today, he didn’t look as bewildered as Theo thought he would be. He opened his mouth to say something but there were no words for his flatmate, none and the actor seemed to get it, the shock quickly covered with another blinding smile.

“Probably best not to tell anyone about this,” he said, thousands of emotions swirling in his eyes while he looked at Theo, this time completely calm and serious. The owner of the book shop got it, he knew how fast rumours spread, almost like some kind of disease, especially in this part of London. It was the main reason why he had lied to Nolan those thirty minutes ago, even though it felt like a whole week since then and Theo got it. He knew it would pain him not talking about it with anyone because once again, all of this seemed so unreal that keeping it for himself just felt like another kind of personal hell but he would do it, for Liam.

“Right. Right, no one,” Theo answered, tightening the grip on his hips as he bit his bottom lip, still tasting a little bit of Liam on them. “I mean, I’ll tell myself sometimes, but, don’t worry, I won’t believe it.” If he wasn’t flirting with Liam before now he most definitely was. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened, Theo couldn’t help himself, he simply rambled when he was nervous.

Liam’s blinding smile changed into a small sweet one, some blush appearing on his cheeks when he moved to the front door, hands anxiously gripping his bags. They shared another look, probably the last one, for real this time. One more time, Liam turned around, putting on those hideous sunglasses and said:

“Goodbye.” And he turned around, leaving from the blue thin house for once and for all.

“Bye,” Theo said back, closing the door slowly, exhaling a huge pile of breath. A stone fell from his heart, dropping down with a loud thud and he relaxed. It was all over now, no more Liam or celebrities, no more jams and orange juices. Theo was safe again, far away from everything.

“There’s something wrong with this yogurt.” Corey freed him from the thoughts in his head, holding a small white glass jar, scooping it with a spoon. Theo looked at him tiredly, too exhausted to deal with his friend.

“It’s not yogurt. It’s mayonnaise.”

“Oh, right. There we are, then.” And then he scooped some more and ate it, this time nodding in approval. Theo closed his eyes, bringing his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose, sighing at whoever made this happen. Too much for one day, too much. “On for a videofest tonight?” Corey asked again, some of the mayonnaise dripping from his chin as he picked up the plastic bag he came home with. “I got some absolute classics.”

Who was Theo to deny such an offer? What better way to forget about your awkward experiences and _surreal_ kisses than watching some brain-washing movies?

* * *

The problem with famous people was their appearance in everyday life of non-famous people (like Theo for example) and so the ‘absolute classics’ that Corey had referred to, contained a lot of movies with Liam in them...well all of them were with Liam as the main character and there was no escape from it.

At exactly that moment Theo has realized that there was no coming back now. This weird and completely _crazy_ day he has had will be hunting him forever because Liam was everywhere. Even in his house, on the streets, in the papers, on shirts and flyers, _everywhere_ and Theo couldn’t just forget.

Liam had it easy, he made a quick fling out of Theo to let off some steam. Liam Dunbar could just be messing with Theo because he was like that, because celebrities were like that. Not Liam though, whatever had happened between them, it wasn’t from spite or hate. Theo still didn’t know what it was supposed to mean but it meant something and that little tiny fact stopped him from concentrating on the movie.

Their small tv played the second film of the night, this one was about a brave superhero saving New York, like there weren’t enough superheroes already, and charmed every girl that he had saved. Strangely enough, the hero never saved another man, just women which could seem quite misogynistic to some and the CGI was very poorly done, all the actors obviously fresh graduates from acting school...it was a disaster. The only good thing was truly Liam, his smile and the nature of his lines and movements and Theo adored that. So he just sat there, on their dirty sofa, his glasses greased by something, probably the sticky pizza and he just took it in, thinking about Liam and what we would do if they ever met again.

“Imagine...somewhere in the world there’s someone who’s allowed to kiss him.”

There were a few things about Corey that Theo liked. Being gay and not hiding it was one of them, always telling his roommate about the guys he felt attracted to, sharing his experiences from all the dates in his life, even the...well even things he definitely shouldn’t share. Corey was also very supportive when Theo came out as bisexual, telling him that it’s okay, that everyone is a little bit gay which Theo thought wasn’t true but Corey lived in his own universe and there was no way he could drag him out of it. Another good thing about him was, that he liked a lot of men from the movies, leaving Theo feel less alone in this situation even though his troubles were far away from Corey’s and also the relationship with Liam was a lot more different. Because Theo has kissed Liam....more like Liam kissed Theo and yes, he could imagine people getting jealous of people like him because, to be honest, Liam was…

“He is...he is fairly fabulous.” And Theo kissed him and will never be able to do it again.

**Author's Note:**

> so...yeah, that's it for now, we'll see when I see you again - English is hard  
> if you want to talk to me or anything, you can do it on my Tumblr @curlsinthewind :)  
> I don't bite, I promise.


End file.
